Steven Beardsley

Our billionaires used to win the America's Cup. RIP Ted Turner, "Mouth of the South," champion of the Atlanta Braves and the American Bison and such a dominant figure when I was growing up in Georgia. nytimes.com/2026/05/06/bus…

The base model arrives in September for €24,995. Here's my story from last September on the new Polo's design departure from the ID line. dw.com/en/iaa-why-vw-…

Positive reviews for VW's new ID.Polo here in Germany -- Bild calls it the model VW should have brought out years ago (instead of the ID.3 apparently). FAZ praises the design and "real door handles." bild.de/leben-wissen/a…

Volkswagen's CFO Arno Antlitz hints at further cost-cuts in today's Q1 release: "Tariffs... the competition in China is stronger and Chinese competition is exporting even more to Europe. In such an environment, the planned cost cuts are insufficient."

Renault was no longer selling in China when it decided it needed to develop a new car there -- for Europe. The result is the electric Twingo. It took less than two years to build and says a lot about the car industry. My story: dw.com/en/what-renaul…

Ausgerechnet in einer Zeit, die von Populismus und Autokraten geprägt ist, wird es am deutschen Auslandssender gespart. tagesspiegel.de/kultur/einspar…

@shashj Mr. Frumble's tanker is being boarded by masked men

Incoming fed chief's independence in a nutshell

"Mr. Warsh, did Donald Trump lose the 2020 election?" "We try to keep politics, if I’m confirmed, out of the Federal Reserve." "I’m just asking you a factual question... I need to measure your independence..." "I believe that this body certified that election many years ago."

An ancient Greek artifact has been found in Berlin -- apparently for the very first time. A 13 year-old found the coin, which has been dated to the 3rd century BC. The context around its deposition is still unclear. rbb24.de/panorama/beitr…

Volkswagen's newest ID.3 looks a bit more like a Golf. insideevs.com/news/793040/vo…

Volkswagen and XPENG begin production of their first joint project for the Chinese market -- the ID.UNYX 08 -- and tout the 2-year development time. VW needs a big boost in China, where its electric deliveries are in hard retreat.

@WhiteHouse Sorry, you don't roll straight at the head pin and get a strike (:18). You get a split.

STRIKE. 💥🦅

Top voter concerns today in Baden-Württemberg, one of Germany's wealthiest states: 1) Security in Europe 2) Democracy in danger 3) Auto industry struggling ... 7) Too many foreigners

The courts keep catching up with DJT, but it takes time, and that's an intimidating delay. "In some instances, even when the administration has walked away from its initial legal position, it has still been able to impose its will."

Trump's latest failure before the courts: His push against major law firms. "[It's] he latest example of the White House pushing the limits of the law, benefiting from the lag time between the use of its power and the courts’ response.... " nytimes.com/2026/03/02/us/…

Grand Départ Berlin in 2029?! @LeTour organizer wants Berlin in the running, same year as the 40th anniversary of the wall coming down. tagesspiegel.de/sport/berlin-i…

German chancellor Merz says he and Italy's Meloni will push for more "legislative restraint" in the EU. Curious how @berndlange is likely to view that.

China's biggest sportswear brand Anta Sports said it would buy a 29.06% stake in Puma from the Pinault family for $1.8 billion, ‌making it the biggest shareholder in the German sportswear maker reut.rs/46hCgiL

Car registrations improve in Europe in 2025, market shares of petrol and diesel drop while battery-electric and hybrids climb. @ACEA_auto acea.auto/pc-registratio…